You’ve heard that exercise can make you happier and less stressed. But just how much physical activity do you need to turn around a bad day? Researchers have been hard at work trying to answer that question, and while there’s no one get-happy prescription for everyone, evidence indicates that pretty much any amount of exercise—even a 15-minute walk—can help to turn a frown upside down.
We asked the Thrive Global community to tell us the steps they’re taking to set themselves up for success in 2019, and the goals they hope to achieve by doing so. Which of these suggestions will you try?
Consider the three Rs
“Take a moment and think about the 3 Rs…Review what’s working and what isn’t. Readjust what may be great with a few tweaks. Release what is weighing you down or helping you to lose revenue (and that might be people on your team). Try it!”
—Judy Hoberman, keynote speaker, Dallas, TX
Set a theme for the year
“I’m not making New Year’s resolutions since we all know that they usually go down the drain by February! Instead, I’ve set a ‘theme’ for the year. My theme is ‘expansion and exploration.’ Expanding: new friends, rekindling old friendships, and learning, especially what makes us who we are and how we can change that for the better. I mean exploration in a physical sense, with more time in nature, visiting my bucket list destinations, but also getting to know myself better. This is my year to explore me, what I like and what I want to show up for in the world.”
—Hazel Mccallum, coach, hypnotherapist, practitioner and speaker, London, England
Reconnect with friends
“I realize that I’ve let some long-term, meaningful friendships slide away due to distance and time demands. There’s so much evidence about the importance of maintaining strong social relationships, and my own life is a testament to feeling the lack of connections: feeling alone leads to loneliness, which leads to negativity and feelings of depression. So, I’ve set up several phone conversations between now and the new year to rekindle those connections, with hopes of gaining momentum in 2019.”
—S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate, college professor, Clinton, NY
Create a vision board
“I’m letting go of the past year: the good, the bad, and the things I would have done differently. And I’m manifesting what I’d like to have happen in the new year by creating vision boards with ideas for decorating our new home, making health goals (as opposed to weight loss), and imagining how I’d like to show up in the world for all the people in my life are how I’m looking forward to all that’s to come.”
—Megan Garheart, corporate recruiter, Baltimore, MD
Plan dates to look forward to
“My husband and I spent time planning out six months of date nights, self-care days, and craft days (we make home decor for fun). We have three teens in our house, and between our weekly activities and theirs, we must put those ‘special’ days on the calendar so that they’re never forgotten or bypassed.”
—Desiree Townsend, client services, Longmont, CO
Unclutter your mental and physical space
“I clear mental and physical space to start the new year. I start with a week’s vacation for relaxation to fully enjoy the holidays and embrace them with warmth, not tension. After Christmas, and all the presents, food, and entertainment, I move into the the physical clearing of space. I use the last few days to enjoy the clearing of old or negative habits and/or collected things, and prepare both my mind and space for new things to come.”
—Nakeshia Nickerson, author, Beachwood, OH
Redefine success
“As a therapist, I get this question a lot. My answer is always the same: Let’s start by clearly defining success. If success is a number on a scoreboard, you’ll never be truly successful. It’s an unending game of distraction from an unending feeling of emptiness. So, what really is success? Success is about connection. I have never witnessed a person who came to my office or lay on their deathbed say, ‘I should have achieved more.’ But I have witnessed dozens say, ‘I wish I were more connected to…” So take the time this year to embrace the difficult spaces, have the hard conversations and open yourself up to connections more fully. That’s the only success worth achieving.”
—Robert Cox, licensed professional counselor, Richmond, MO
Recharge intellectually and physically
“Every year, my boyfriend and I take the entire week off between Christmas and New Year’s to recharge. We spend this time reading books, writing in our journals, doing online yoga classes, watching movies, taking long walks and talking about our hopes for the coming year. We purposely don’t overcommit ourselves to social activities. Some days, we barely even leave the house! It’s my favorite time of year because the two of us are alone together in our own little cocoon. So when the new year comes, we’re refreshed and ready!”
—Rebecca Kolinski, freelance writer/editor, Westlake, OH
Take a meaningful New Year’s Day walk
“This is my annual process to start every year with a clear focus and strong intentions: on January 1st, I go for a long walk by myself in the early afternoon to meditate on the coming year. When I come home, I get myself some coffee, and of course some chocolate. Then I do an exercise by Christine Kane to choose my word of the year. Finally, I make a vision board for the year and put it up on the bathroom mirror so I can see it whenever I brush my teeth!”
—Herdis Pala, HR leader, speaker, coach and consultant, Reykjavik, Iceland
Stoke your employees’ passions
“As a business owner of a company that employs professionals worldwide, the New Year’s resolutions I set for myself involve commitment to and enthusiasm for a whole team. That’s why the most important thing for me to do in these last few days of 2018 is to make sure all my employees are writing downtheir own goals and personal strategies, both for their department and for themselves within the company. I ask them to send them to me and print them so we can look at them again on June 1st, 2019, and once more by this time next year. I pride myself on offering each and every employee the opportunity for personal and professional growth — I think that their passion drives this company forward.”
—Sean Hopwood, CEO, Tampa, FL
Return to your “factory settings”
“My plan for 2019 is to return to factory settings. I travel too much, take too many supplements and herbal sleeping pills, have too many clothes, buy books and cosmetics before I have read and used the ones I own…and so on. So my plan for the next few days is to collate the books I haven’t read and the toiletries I haven’t used, audit my wardrobe (vigorously, rather than weeding out odds and sods), review my menu plans, and plan time for thought. During this process, I’ll review how I can weed out work distractions and create more opportunities for both myself and my team to shine, and plan ways to spend more focused, simple time with my family. I want to take things back to basics, and flourish from there.”
—Erika Clegg, communications agency co-founder, England
Give your mind a break
“As an entrepreneur, public speaker and volunteer, I work a lot in my dual roles throughout the year. For the last days of 2018, I’m giving my mind a break — a mental shake, so to speak, and a much-needed rest away from the normal, day-to-day work rush. I won’t watch the news, but instead, I’ll catch up with friends and enjoy some me-time. When January 2, 2019 rolls around, I know I will feel both refreshed and less stressed.”
—Jennefer Witter, entrepreneur, author, women and diversity advocate, public speaker, New York, NY
Reflect on your achievements
“I take two days without anyone around and read a list of my achievements for the year. I write them out every week so it’s easy to review in Notes on my iPhone. This sets you up for an incredible platform to then set up your 2019 goals. How much of what you achieved this year do you want to do next year? It allows you to flex up or flex down. Use simple buckets like relationships, professional, health, family, travel, adventure, creativity, financial, material and spiritual. There’s nothing like kickstarting a year with clarity and focus.”
—Josh Phegan, real estate agent, trainer, speaker, coach, Sydney, Australia
Be more, do less
“I’ll be doing more of what makes me happy, whatever makes my heart sing. Being more, doing less. I’m listening to audiobooks — my two favorites are The Seat of the Souland Childhood Disrupted. They’re both really inspirational and provide deep clarity. I’m choosing to listen to audiobooks so I can be free to fully rest my eyes and keep my mind off of the electronics. I am praying more and upping my positive self talk. I’m getting clear on which two to three main points that I want to focus on for 2019. These focuses include what I love, what makes me happy and what will bring money my way so that I can live a better aligned life and enjoy the spirit of living fully on this planet! Lastly, I’ll be watching sunsets.”
—Kyriaki Chonacas, artist, New York, NY
Pick a word you’ll live by
“A great intention-setting exercise to prepare for 2019 is to select your Word of the Year. Write down why this is a great word for you this year. Then, list five to 10 things that you could create or attract if you lived this word daily. Based on your chosen word, list a few goals that you would like to accomplish this year, including one ‘big win.’ Now post your word somewhere you’ll see it everyday. I have mine pop-up on my phone calendar every morning at 9 AM.”
—Dr. Sharon Ufberg, coach, Hermosa Beach, CA
Build on what has worked well
“This year, I’m trying something different. Instead of spending my time creating big ‘stretch’ goals, tasks and action plans, I’m going to lean in and perfect the work I was doing already. Every year, I usually spend time dreaming and planning, and then promptly throw those plans out the window. Or my inner rebel says, ‘you can’t tell me what to do,’ and I end up doing nothing. Next year, at least for the first quarter, I’m going to work on building my skills, connecting with my work and working deeper on the work I’ve started. This week is all about reviewing what worked well, what small changes I need to make and how I can build on the success I’ve already had.”
—Tanya Abdul Jalil, copywriting and content planning specialist, Melbourne, Australia
Give thanks, and plan vacations
“Clarity and focus are what I crave, so on New Year’s Eve, I’ll begin a physical purge of items in my home that no longer serve me. I’ll bring in the new year with a guided meditation, giving thanks to my successes and challenges, to lessons learned and not yet learned in 2018. My first task of the new year will be to plan my vacation schedule and mark them on my work computer.”
—Nicole Barton, lead software quality engineer, San Francisco, CA
Focus on the first 100 days
“I’m approaching 2019 like a new president — I’m focusing on the first one hundred days. In addition to a newly organised office and new stationery, I’m prioritising getting out of my comfort zone and continuing to embrace lifelong learning. The biggest thing I realised in 2018 is that my goals need to be specific and measurable, with lots of little milestones. So for 2019, I’ve broken the big goals about health, photography, and writing into discrete daily habits and deliverables that are in my calendar with electronic reminders. To make it all a bit more fun, I’ve signed up for a single fitness challenge, daily writing prompts, and photography workshops to help me commit to learning and building habits with a broader community.”
—Nicole Condit Duncan, photographer, New Milton, UK
Make tiny improvements
“My 2019 goals are simple: be better than I was in 2018. Be better at working out, and by that I mean starting at all. Since I work at a desk, I need to move more at home — even if I came home and walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes per day, that would be a huge improvement to my daily routine and my heart health. I’m also working to get in a better dinner routine. Since the holidays have begun, we have been in a fast-paced mode and have eaten out way too much. We’ll save a ton of money and feel better after we eat, which is a double-bonus. I also want to read more. I’ve finally found an interest this activity again after graduating college and i’m excited to dig in.”
—Emily W., assistant project manager, Deford, MI
Be more present
“First, I make resolutions less stressful by calling them intentions instead. My main intention for this year (as it has been for the past few) is to ‘be present.’ This means to stop multitasking, be more conscious and aware and live in the moment. It helps make life less overwhelming, puts you in a calmer state and helps you see beauty in everyday things.”
—Verity Brown, empowerment coach, Blackpool, UK
Take stock of your footprint
“The new year is coinciding with a move to a new home, so I’m assessing every item before it goes into a box — to keep, donate, recycle, or trash? I’m trying to be more aware of my environmental footprint than ever. These clothing and furniture donations bring me joy — they’re strong steps in that direction.”
—Tracy LaPorte, program manager, Alexandria, VA
Revel in the possibilities
“Rilke exhorts us: ‘And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been…’ In these last days of 2018, I’m envisioning some of the things that have never been, but things that I can actually make happen with both belief and action.”
—Dr. Marlene Caroselli, author, Pittsford, NY
Be yourself
“I only have one strategy: being myself.”
—Siobhan Kukolic, author, writer and motivational speaker, Toronto, Canada
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Happy New Years! Let’s make this our STRONG-EST year yet!
In theory, New Year’s resolutions are a fabulous idea.
After all, what better way to start the New Year than with a fresh outlook on life? In practice, however, this annual ritual has become a bit of a joke, to the point that people make bets about how long their friends’ and loved ones’ resolutions are going to last. For some, it’s gotten so futile that they’ve stopped making resolutions altogether.
The problem, says David L. Katz, MD, director of the Yale Griffin Prevention Research Center in Derby, Connecticut, is that many resolutions are unrealistic and poorly executed. “Most resolutions involve inspiration but no preparation,” he says. “For long-term success, a detailed and sustainable action plan is key.”
With help from experts, Prevention has put together a list of resolutions for you to try. Many are a spin on the usual resolutions, but with tips for making them stick.
End 2018 on a healthy note and join Brian Price for the final Hike 2 Health this year!
8 a.m.
Saturday, December 29th
Meet at trail head behind the Rome Braves Stadium to walk the river path
Hike 2 Health walks are open to the Harbin Clinic employees, family and friends. If you have questions or concerns about the weather, please contact Brian at (706) 238-2225.
Ditch the champagne and countdown chaos, and start your 2018 feeling strong and centered.
New Year’s Eve is a time of festive celebration—of dressing up, hitting a dance floor or crowded bar, and counting down to midnight, all to the sounds of music blasting and champagne corks popping. It’s about being with friends and loved ones, and waving good-bye to the old and welcoming in the new.
Well, we’re totally on board with the out with the old, in with the new part. Which is why we’re making the case for skipping the party scene and instead staying in and treating yourself to a night of self-care TLC. Doing these moves can help you breathe a sigh of relief, restore your spirit, and get in the right headspace so you launch your get-healthy resolutions on a strong note.
If you have big hopes coming up for 2019—such as losing weight, running a half marathon, doing a digital detox, getting more sleep—you’ll stack the cards in your favor if you’re physically and mentally prepared to tackle the challenge. Once you’ve made that mind shift, you can be on your way toward crushing your new year goals. These four self-care ideas for New Year’s Eve will set you up for success.
Plan your first move for January 1
So your plan for 2019 is to build muscle, or learn to cook, or start practicing meditation. Now’s the time, in the quiet of your home, to figure out what your first step will be toward making that goal happen. Don’t aim too high—come up with something realistic that will launch you on your way. In other words, instead of an 8 a.m. run, plan it for a more doable 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. Think of one thing you can do every day that will help you make your resolution a reality. Write it down, and vow to stick to it.
Reach out to your support team
Even if you’re riding solo this December 31, that doesn’t mean you can’t be with loved ones. Reach out—call, text, leave a sweet message on their Instagram. Connecting with the people who know you and support you can give you the feels, but it’ll also clue you into who you want as part of your support team as you tackle your 2019 goals. Tell them what you’re up to, so they can cheer you on as the year moves along.
“Setting a resolution is easy. Keeping it is hard, unless you have the right support and accountability,” says Morgenstern. Who’s going to cheerlead you through the rough days or check in? “That is really what will make this year different,” she adds.
Clear the clutter
We get it, going through your closets and pantry and deciding what to keep and what to junk doesn’t exactly sound like an ideal New Year’s Eve. But hear us out: There’s something very empowering about cutting yourself free from things you don’t use or need. Cleaning up and clearing out helps you feel in control and organized, and when your home is clutter-free, you’ll feel less mentally cluttered as well.
Plus, others might need some of the things you’re tossing more than you do. So look into local charities you can donate clothes, books, and other items. You’ll like the way it feels to start the new year by giving back—stronger and more connected, and that ultimately will help you with your goals.
Treat yourself to indulgences
Self-care is all about doing what nourishes you. Feel like a glass or two of pinot, or making brownies, or hanging on the sofa doing pretty much nothing? Or maybe hitting the spa for a bunch of treatments or ordering in dinner from a decadent but delicious restaurant? Ignore the judgy voice in your head that’s second-guessing or criticizing what you want and just enjoy yourself.
“Give yourself permission to have it your way and not feel guilty about it,” says Morgenstern. Indulgence doesn’t always mean spending big money or lazing around—even turning in before midnight to score a few hours of extra sleep or popping in a yoga video is a way to treat yourself well and feed your soul. The positivity boost will help you make the changes you’re planning and 2018 a success.
Adapted from an article written by Jessica Migala and published on health.com on December 8, 2017.
When you tell yourself that the holiday season will be difficult to keep on track with all the available food and drink, chances are it’s going to be. Your self-talk becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you expect to give in to the temptation of all those homemade baked goods, you will and your weight loss goals are sure to suffer. If you’re sure it’s not an option to turn down your mother’s offer of seconds, it won’t be.
But if you want to start the New Year without feeling like you’re starting over, you can. The first thing you need is a positive attitude, says Dianne Siegelbaum, a New York-based Wellness Coach. “You can if you think you can,” she says.
The second thing you need? A plan. People who stay within sight of their weight-loss goals — in one way or another — are the people who eventually attain their goals. Figuring out what’s different and more difficult about losing weight during the holidays helps you strategize how to work through it.
It can be done, and we’ll help you do it. Keep reading to develop your plan for getting through the season.
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